[rjmunro]

The thing is that "improvements in engineering, materials, process, or design" should make it cheaper, not more expensive. That's how it works in other industries.

Although I don't think it's fair to put all the blame on the Fed. The same thing has happened in the UK and many other places.

[yui43]

> The thing is that "improvements in engineering, materials, process, or design" should make it cheaper, not more expensive.

Only if you’re optimizing for cost, which public infrastructure very obviously isn’t. It’s optimizing for safety.

[knorker]

Environmental impact study, OSHA, etc… are processes that are improvements, that clearly make it more expensive.

[Sohcahtoa82]

I find it rather alarming that you equate those improvements with lower cost.

Would it be an improvement to build my car out of wood rather than steel? It'd certainly make it a LOT cheaper!